


Human

by vilfaras



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 14:51:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4923799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vilfaras/pseuds/vilfaras
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Underneath the masks they wear, they were just human after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human

**Author's Note:**

> Short drabble to accompany an artwork I did a long time ago [ http://commanderrockhard.tumblr.com/post/64572798278/human-they-were-both-quiet-men-by-nature-both ] which I never got to posting here. Hope you enjoy reading this!

They were both quiet men by nature, both preferring to be observers. Erwin was the charismatic orator when needed be; Levi on the other hand could hardly be bothered with wordplay and the art of manipulation.

Verbal communication was considered extraneous during battle. Amidst the cacophony and chaos, besides concise orders and directions, both of them, along with the rest of the Scouting Legion eventually learned through experience that the best form of communication is to observe. Your eyes and instincts served you best, they believed, and it was a belief that kept many of them alive for a little longer.

Body language was the most ideal form of communication. Over the years they’d perfected their understanding of each other’s body movements. A sharp nod; a slight tilt of the head; a wave of a hand, a quick glance, both of them understood every move from the other. Wordless communication was priceless in situations where speech was not wise, or convenient.

And they were both hardly expressive men. Years of battles, on and off the battlefield had ingrained a calm, almost distant, stoical quality to their character. But that did not meant they could not feel hurt and tire like the average person.

They were still human after all.

There were times of vulnerability; times of need for comfort; times where small talk was redundant.

And there were times where they just needed to touch each other. A small gesture of reassurance that in the constant nightmare they live in, they still have each other.

They were both quiet men, but Erwin was the more tactile of the two. Levi didn’t mind the touches at all despite his obsessive compulsive need to be clean at all times. Erwin’s hands were soothing; the way those fingers kneaded the back of his neck after a tiring day; or how his fingers and thumb grasps his chin gently before Erwin lowers his head for a kiss. The warmth that seeps into his own skin was something he was fond of, and he would never admit it.

Erwin’s touch was security, even though Levi was more than capable of protecting himself.

The commander was also a pillar of strength; something to lean on during the days where one got so tired of constantly fighting mentally and physically. And Levi was the same to the older man. They had the world against them, and only each other to rely on.

Levi understood that at times Erwin needed that security and comfort for himself as well, and he would ask for it his own way. A quiet hallway; an empty room, any place that guaranteed a moment of peace and privacy, the taller man would perhaps cup and stroke a cheek; a languid tracing of his lower lip; or an arm wrapped around his small frame and nose nuzzled into Levi’s hair, breathing in his scent.

With a small sigh; a lingering touch, both would part ways after each short moment of retreat from reality, until the next time they could spend more time with each other. Erwin would usually leave without a word, but a small smile would be on his lips and his eyes brighter, less tired than before.

They had both given away their humanity for the sake of mankind, but they were still human after all.

_Mortal, breakable, fallible._

Human.

But at least, not alone.

 


End file.
